A Killer In Our Midst
by AutobotCopperShadow
Summary: Arthur Kirkland, a budding detective, and his partner, Francis Bonnefoy are invesigating a killer that's been plaguing New York City for 5 months. Arthur's younger brother, Alfred, appears invested in this case, but why? Rated T for Character Death
1. The Detective's Woes

**Howdy, peoples. Now, I know my various fanfiction efforts have failed epically in the past, but hey, I feel I got this in the bucket. So listen to my special story I came up with here. This stems from my love of all things America, FrUk and random other things, especially my interest in serial killer!nations.**

 **So go on and read!**

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Arthur felt worse than if he had been run over. What with his annoying partner and his boss breathing down his neck about the current case, his stress levels were boiling over. Alfred was as annoying as ever, always begging to go to that stupid fast food place, but Arthur eventually got him to settle for some coffee (he never understood why he didn't like tea) and fish and chips. Then Alfred went to his room to play video games, leaving Arthur to review over the case and wait for Francis.

Sure enough, the doorbell rang. Arthur stood up and slowly opened the door. "Hello, Francis." He nodded his head at the Frenchman and ushered him inside, offering him tea and scones.

"No thank you, Monsieur." Francis pushed the plate slightly away. "Now, onto the case, what do we have?" Arthur pulled out the file, unaware of the blond head peaking around the corner.

Sobering up more than ever, Arthur grimaced. "Five murders, all in separate places, different times, nothing connecting them. It's almost like they just go after random people on the street. They only have one connection. They all live in New York. Plus the two siblings that were murdered in separate places."

"So none of the team has found any connections, any whatsoever?" Francis's smooth voice depicted shock and stress. "How will we connect them to the killer?" He moaned, placing his head in his hands. Arthur grimly nodded, then pushed 5 photos forward.

"These are the scenes of the crimes, all five." Arthur whispered to Francis. "Feliciano Vargas, two siblings, Laura and Lars whose last name is unknown, Eduard von Bock, and Natalia Arlovskaya."

Francis stared at the photos, noticing one difference in the last photo. "Her." He said, pointing at Natalya. "There's more blood." Arthur nodded.

"We speculate the she fought the killer more, but there was no DNA of the killer anywhere. It seems he cleaned her up before laying where she was." Francis nodded and stood up, heading towards the clean white kitchen. Washing his hands and then grabbing a piece of toast, he motioned for Arthur to continue.

"Nothing else was found on the scene except for this." Arthur held up a photo of a wall. You could faintly see the edge of Natalya's body.

Francis narrowed his eyes. "What does it say?"

"I'll find him, and then I'll stop." Francis shook his head, and listened to Arthur's next words. "The team, especially Yao, thinks that means that the killer is looking for someone close to them. Like a romantic interest, a sibling, or a parent."

"So we look at the missing person report from before the killings first started." Francis nodded, and then he noticed the time.

"Very well, but Monsieur, I must be going. Goodbye, Arthur and Alfred." He nodded at the blond head behind Arthur, before grabbing the files and stepping out the door. Arthur turned around and turned red with anger.

"I thought you went to bed, Alfred." Arthur's face was a shade of red never before seen, and Alfred seemed to revel in it.

"Wellllll..." Alfred drawled out. "I didn't." His face turned hopeful, and he gave Arthur puppy eyes. "Can I help with the case, please Arthur?"

Arthur crumbled in his head, but pointed at the hall, motioning for Alfred to go to bed. "Maybe, but go to bed." His warning even made Alfred skulk off into his room, and soon the lights turned off. "Talk about a problem." Arthur stepped into the bathroom before falling into bed and falling immediately asleep.

* * *

 **The next morning**

Waking up, Alfred stretched out, making a little sound, before he fell back on the bed. Grabbing his uniform out of the dresser, he put it on the counter for later, before brushing his teeth and sliding in front of the computer. Lowering the volume so that Arthur wouldn't hear it. When 7:00 am hit, he jumped off the computer before sliding into the bathroom and starting up the shower.

Alfred dressed in the school uniform, and grabbed a banana before the engine sounds of the bus reverberated through the room. Stepping onto the bus, Alfred sat next to Katyusha, a Ukrainian exchange student. Nodding a hello, he sat back in the seat and rested.

When the bus slid in front of the giant high school, Alfred jumped off as conspicuously as possible. Stopping in front of his locker, he trudged to Math, awaiting the torture of school with a grimace on his face and hate in his heart.

* * *

 **With Arthur**

Checking in his younger brother's room, Arthur noted that it was empty, then brewed a cup of tea and sipped it, looking at the pictures. Then he spit it out, noticing the similarities between this Natalya girl and the anthropologist on his team. Maybe this was Ivan's relative!

Gathering up his things, he left for his office.

 **So what do you think about it? R & R and thanks for reading!**

 **7/31/15**

 **9:53am**


	2. Alfred's School Day, and a MURDER!

**Thanks for the reviews, bisexual cookie and Guest! This is the second chapter, in Alfred's pov. Thanks so much for reading that last chapter!**

 **Here's the answers:**

 **Bisexual cookie: Hehehe. You never know, it could be even a detective or one of their relatives. But I agree with you, yeah it could be Alfred...**

 **Guest: thanks for the review!**

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ALFRED POV

Stepping into math, Alfred grinned and walked over to he and his friend's group of desks. The beige wallpaper covering the room only made the class seem more boring in his opinion. Even with the brightly colored posters just trying to cover up the edges of the walls, he could see the slight curl of the wallpapers. The school was that old.

Sliding into the empty desk in the back of the group, he grinned more at Matthias and Gilbert. As the teacher went on and on and on about fractions and geometry, he felt himself slipping into a vegetative state.

Somehow, this always happened, no matter what he did. He still captured the information, he just didn't hear the teacher's voice. Shrill and short school bell rang, and Alfred jumped slightly. His knee hit the top of his desk and he clenched his teeth in pain. Those desks were resilient. But so was Alfred, and he continued in his day.

English class was no better. This class always reminded Alfred of Arthur's grammar speeches, 'going to not gonna', etc. He honestly didn't care. As long as people heard him and understood what he was saying, he just left it as it was.

When he left the class, his head was numb and he felt like it could break if someone tapped it. But it wasn't because of English class, huh. He shook it off, heading to one of his favorite periods. Gym. It was his favorite 'cause he was really really good at it. His friends always joked that he had super strength.

It helped that he always exclaimed, "I'm the hero!", sometimes in the halls, and his friends teased him good-naturedly, saying things like, "Would you like a cape with that?" or "What would be your superhero name, Alfred?"

He honestly didn't know what his name would be if he was a superhero. He certainly wasn't one right now. When he finished that class, he was sweating and he quickly changed into his regular clothes for lunch. Ahh, lunch, the best part of the day. He grabbed his regular, a cheeseburger, and sat down at the table he and his friends had sat at for a long time coming.

Joking and laughing with Matthias and Gilbert, he introduced the topic they had been talking about on the phone before he eavesdropped on England. "What if we were countries?"

Matthias grinned. "You'd be America, because you were born here and you act like the average American boy stereotype."

Gilbert laughed, "I'd be the one once been nation, what was it, oh yeah, Prussia!"

His friends looked at him. "Why?" They both asked, and Gilbert shrugged. Then the bell rang again, and they all rushed to their separate classes, so as not to be late. 3 hours later, the last bell rang, and a stampede of students rushed out of the classrooms. The once quiet halls now where filled with lockers clanging, idle gossip, and laughs all around. Heading towards the bus, Alfred loped around a group of gossiping girls, and jumped onto the first step, smiling at the bus driver.

When he finally got home, Arthur wasn't home yet, so Alfred vanished into his room like a ghost. When Arthur finally got home, Alfred was passed out in bed. Smiling slightly, Arthur pulled up the covers around Alfred.

"Goodnight, Alfred." He whispered before turning off the light and closing the door.

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Later that night, an imposing figure stood over a blood-covered body in the middle of a warehouse somewhere in the city. "Finally," he growled. "The damn kid died." He had pulled the teen, struggling, from his bedroom where his younger brother was sleeping deeply. With only one light source, the kid's white hair shined in the dark, and the tall figure stood up and walked over to the phone. His thick white gloves, flecked with blood, made dialing hard, but he dialed 911 and then left it there, already leaving the building hearing, "Hello, Hello?", behind him, and getting into his bike, he shot through town to his apartment.

 **Sorry about killing off Prussia guys. You know I love the awesome trio. (best trio ever!)So, we read America's school day! Thanks for for reading, and this is AutobotCopperShadow, signing out!**

 **6:04 am**

 **7/4/15**


	3. Poor Alfie

**Hey guys! How are you liking the story today? Sorry if I don't reply to your reviews, I write my chapters right after each other.**

 _ARTHUR POV_

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Hopping into his gray car, Arthur put the briefcase, along with the book he had been reading the day before, and drove off. When the dark brown brick building came into view, Arthur parked the car and strode into the building, briefcase and phone in hand. The receptionist, an eighteen year old by the name of Sarah, smiled at him and waved as he passed by.

"Hey, Arthur!" She called after him. He turned around, wondering it was.

"Yes?" He walked over to her.

"Someone called your office this morning, and I told them to leave a voicemail. They said to call back." Arthur nodded his thanks, and then followed the charcoal gray walls all the way to the office corridor. Spotting Ivan sitting at his desk, Arthur walked over to him.

"Hey, Ivan, do you know this girl?" Arthur held up the photo of Natalya. When he spotted the look on Ivan's face, he knew it was an affirmative. "She was one of the latest kills." He lay on hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Then he headed towards his stark and clean office, down towards the end. Francis's office was right next to his, and he frowned seeing that Francis wasn't there. Just as he was about to start the voicemail playback, Francis shoved his way into the office. "Arthur! Arthur! Did you hear?"

Arthur frowned grumpily at being interrupted. "Hear what?" Francis nodded at the TV in the corner. Arthur walked closer to it. The dim mutterings of the office shuttered away as he stared at the caption. 'Murderer's latest kill found dead in warehouse'

Arthur ran for his office, grabbing his camera and paper pad, then followed Francis out to his car. The flashy red car wouldn't be his chosen choice, but it would suffice getting to the scene. While he cruised down the highway, Arthur urged Francis to go faster. Finally, Francis went just above the speed limit. When they arrived on the scene, reporters flitted around like flies. Arthur could practically hear the buzzing. Oh wait, that was his phone.

Alfred's sad voice filtered through. Arthur could practically hear the sobs the boy had cried. "Is it true?" Alfred broke out in more sobs. "Is Gilbert dead?"

Arthur searched his memory for the name of that boy, and when he found it his eyes softened. His voice did too. "Ohh Alfred, it's okay, you'll be fine. We don't know yet, so don't worry, alright?"

Already he knew that his brother's best friend was gone. Forever. Alfred's tear-streaked voice whimpered, "Okay, but tell me when you get home, alright?"

Instead of answering, Arthur told Alfred he loved him, and then he turned to Francis. "So who is it?" Before Francis could answer him, Arthur knew the answer, and he felt his heart breaking for his younger brother.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, 16 years old, Junior, older brother to Ludwig Beilschmidt. His parents were out on the town the night he was killed. Ludwig was devastated when he learned of Gilbert's death."

"How do we know it's the same killer?" Arthur looked at the crime scene. The kid was gone, probably in the morgue, but the tape was there. It looked like he had his hands tied behind his back, which wasn't average for this killer.

"Look at the wall." Turning, Arthur caught the same message as last time.

"Is that his tag or something?" He asked Francis as they walked back to the car, having wrote down and taken a picture of everything.

"Probably." Stepping into the car, Arthur felt sad. His poor younger brother. He just lost one of the best friends he'd ever had. When they arrived back at the station, Ivan, Yao, and Elizaveta were waiting outside. As the only girl on their team, she was still safe. Ivan and Yao expressed no romantic intentions, and Francis and Arthur, well...

Anyway, they all headed to the morgue. Ivan examined the body while Yao, Francis, and Arthur looked at all the notes and pictures. Elizaveta looked for DNA pieces and talked to the family. When they all congregated, Ivan reported that Gilbert had died from multiple hits to the head. He thought it was a baseball bat from the look of it, but they agreed it could be anything.

Elizaveta said that Ludwig thought he had seen a flash of the killer, but it turned out to only be a flash of greenery in the window.

Yao, Francis, and Arthur all agreed that this killing was different from the others. "It's more brutal." Arthur said, with a puzzled look. Why would the killer suddenly change?

"Maybe he knew this person?" Elizaveta put in. Arthur nodded in agreement, then frowned.

"But why would he be more brutal?" He asked them. Francis shook his head in agreement, thinking. Yao spoke next.

"Maybe he didn't like this person, or liked them more, so they felt hurt from a rejection or something?"

"Maybe..." Arthur spoke, and then, looking at the time, put on his suit jacket.

"Where are you going?" Francis asked, standing up as well.

"I'm going to pick my nephew up from the airport." Arthur said.

"Can I come along?" Francis asked.

"Sure." Arthur shrugged and went out to the car. Starting it up, Francis slid in, making Arthur put his briefcase in the back seat. When the stark white and sprawling airport came into view, Arthur parked the car and motioned for Francis to come with him. Seeing a blond in the crowd, Arthur stepped forward and gave them a hug. then he stepped back. "You look well, Matthew!"

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 **So what do you all think! I just love this story right now and it's all I can do to let you guys review. I already know what the first few chapters are gonna be. This is AutobotCopperShadow, signing out!**

 **11:39am**

 **7/4/15**


	4. Blood

**I love you guys and your reviews! Thanks so much!**

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Driving back home with Matthew and Francis was awkward to say the least. Matthew was a very quiet child, nevertheless, Francis continued trying to make conversation with Arthur's nephew. Their conversations were usually like this.

"So, how's school for you?" Francis asked Matthew.

"Good." Matthew nodded.

After a while, Francis finally gave up, turning towards the side window, which showed the quickly setting sun. It was quite beautiful, but Arthur had to concentrate on driving. When he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment, Alfred was waiting for him.

He had wiped his face, and his eyes were still puffy, but otherwise, Alfred looked the same. His blond hair waved in the fierce winds, warning them of a thunderstorm to come. Arthur ushered everyone inside, and just as he was about to take Francis home, rain roared and Arthur let him stay over. The arrangements were decided. Francis was on the couch, Matthew was in Alfred's room.

It was five in the morning when everyone woke up to a very loud burst of thunder. Alfred lugged himself out of bed, while Arthur, Francis, and Matthew immediately fell asleep. He got dressed, very quietly, and then snuck out of the front door. 2 hours later, he came back in, looking very, very wet. He took a shower before placing a pot of coffee and waiting for everybody to wake up.

When everyone else woke up, he was smack dab in front of the TV, blankets bunched, breathing deeply in his sleep. Arthur shook his head and picked up the 16 year old, sidling into Alfred's room and placing him on his bed.

"Weird kid." Francis shook his head in agreement.

"He's your brother, isn't he?"

"Well not necessarily..." Arthur trailed off.

Francis looked at him weirdly before firing up the oven. "I think I'm going to cook today, Arthur. For your hospitality." Arthur grinned before leaving to talk to Matthew.

When the ring of "Breakfast! Breakfast!" ran rampant through the house, Alfred woke up and jumped out of bed. He was happy. It was a Saturday, Francis was cooking. It was a good day. Of course, he had his own plans for the day. But it didn't involve Arthur's nephew. Matthew and Alfred looked alike, which was a complete coincident. Alfred was Arthur's half-brother, from a different mother. At least he thought so...

When breakfast was finished, the clanging of pots and plates filled the kitchen. Matthew was quietly watching TV while Francis and Arthur washed the plates. Alfred was playing on the computer with Matthias, who were both grief-filled about their best friend dying. Just yesterday they were talking about which country they would be and now he was dead! Both were quiet in the chatroom, keeping to themselves.

When Alfred had gotten his fill of food and gaming, he stood up, stretched, and waved a goodbye to Arthur, who frowned at him for leaving so much. As he ran down the road, he stopped at his hideout, where he went when he didn't want anyone to find him. Before he could even step inside, everything went black.

Arthur frowned at the clock, waiting at the door. Shouldn't Alfred be home now? He walk over to Alfred's room, but he wasn't in it. Where was Matthew, anyways? Why were both of them missing? Oh god! Arthur fumbled for his phone, but before he could the door slammed.

Alfred woke up surrounded by blood. He froze, listening for footsteps, but finally he sat up and looked around. There was no one there. His heart slammed against his chest as he used a nearby chair to push himself up. His arms hurt like hell, but he stood up using them against the edge of the chair. As he looked around, he noticed he was still in his hideout. So he knew how to get home! Stupid kidnapper. With his arms still tied behind his back, Alfred pushed again the door as hard as he could, again and again, and before long, the door fell and Alfred with it. Groaning, he sat back up.

Was it just his imagination, or were the leaves rustling? He didn't take the chance, and rocketed off to where his apartment was. Which was why he now stood, heaving, dripping blood, and coughing a storm in front of Arthur.

"Arthur..." He groaned before passing from the pain.

Arthur grabbed at his phone and called 911.

"Help!" He screamed. "My little brother is really hurt and he just passed out!"

The whole time, Matthew wasn't there.

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 **Gonna end on a low note there.**

 **Signing out, AutobotCopperShadow**

 **3:58pm**

 **7/4/15**


	5. Hospitals and Visits

**I hope you like this chapter. I followed the advice of user catholicorprotestant, and hopefully it's better!**

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It was a perfect day. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue, the sun shone brightly yellow in the sky, and it was warm, but not too warm. It was the exact opposite of what Arthur wanted this day to be. He wanted it to be storming so hard each blast of thunder shook the halls, and the rain heard like thousands of soldiers with metal boots marching across the roof. The eerie silence of the apartment wasn't helping his mood, and he had the curtains drawn closed, so no natural sunlight was poking through the blue fabric.

His head felt like a million bees swarming around, stinging his brain. With nobody to stem the headache, like Alfred, who always helped him into bed, then left the door closed with classical music playing softly in his dark bedroom, the headache wasn't getting better anytime soon. It was actually getting worse with each grind of his teeth. Finally, after he felt he had taken too much, Arthur stood up and made sure everything was turned off or alternatively, closed off. Staring at the closed door of Alfred's room, he shook his head, muttering, before grabbing his keys and locking the door to the apartment behind him.

The twenty-six year old stormed down the stairs, going as fast as he could. He wasn't about to stay in the quiet apartment, where he was assaulted of memories of Alfred and Matthew. His nephew had been coming over every other year for 8 straight years, and never had anything like this happened before. In the back of his mind, a little voice nagged at him. _'What if it's because of you being on this case? What would you do then?'_

As soon as he was in the gray car, he started up the car, the purring of the engine soothing his headache somewhat. Cruising down the road, he allowed himself to just let his hands take over, and watched the road ahead of his for obstacles. Billboards advertising miracle workers, insurance agencies, and fast food places flew by as he drove. Before Arthur knew it, he was pulling in front of a familiar apartment complex. Before he could think twice, he grabbed his keys and stuffed them in his pocket, and then ran to his partner's complex.

When the door opened, Francis stood wearing an old white t-shirt, and sweatpants. Arthur nervously stumbled through his explanation.

"I couldn't stay... It was too quiet..." Arthur stopped when he felt his friends arms around him in a hug, and he sucked in a breath. "What? Francis?" His friend simply hugged him harder, and before long he found himself hugging back in one of his rare moments of weakness.

Soon enough, Francis stepped back inside and motioned for him to come with. Closing and locking the door behind him, Francis walked over to his dining room table and pulled out a chair before sitting down. Arthur also sat down.

"You see, after Mathieu went missing, I looked at all the previous kills and missing reports in New York in the past few weeks and centered out some that looked like kind of like Mathieu's disappearance. It turn out that Natalya, Lars and Laura, and Eduard were all reported missing a few weeks before they were found dead. All of their disappearances were like each other. Something happens that puts everybody's attention on a certain person, and the killer nabs them during the confusion. Only Gilbert and Feliciano were dragged out of their beds during the night. How we didn't find that in the original investigation, I don't know." Arthur sat back after that information overload.

"So, Alfred being attacked was just the instrument for Matthew to get kidnapped?" Arthur asked.

"Actually, I find something oddly peculiar. Before I left, I tried to find Mathieu to say goodbye, but I couldn't find him. I suspect he was nabbed after Alfred left the apartment. So Matthew was the odd one out in this case."

Arthur twisted his mouth into a frown. The air between Francis and Arthur was filled with tension. Francis stood up to go change and told him he could make something of he felt like it. Before Arthur could say anything, his phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Arthur Kirkland?" A voice rang out from his phone.

"Yes, this is Arthur Kirkland." He gave a confused glance to Francis, who had stepped out of his room, with a pair of jeans on. He left his shirt on, though.

"Well, Alfred woke up, and he's been asking us for you. I was wondering if you would visit him?" Arthur's face lit up, and he grinned at Francis.

"Sure! I'll visit right away." He hung up after exchanging goodbye's, and then, pausing, "Do you want to go with me?" Seeing the nod, he hit the stairs two at a time, getting to the car before Francis was at the door. The drive to the hospital was charged with energy, the day feeling right for his mood for once. The headache had mostly subsided, but he still needed some aspirin.

When the massive structure of the hospital came into view, Arthur parked as close to the entrance as he could. Stepping into the lobby felt like stepping from Africa to Antarctica. Without a jacket on. Walking over to the receptionist's desk, he was greeted by a middle-aged lady talking on the phone. She held up a finger, and Arthur halted in front of the desk. When she finally set the phone down, Arthur asked her where Alfred's room was. She monotoned, "Room 236." Arthur nodded politely and set off for the the elevator, followed by Francis, who was chuckling. He frowned at the Frenchman, and hit the 2nd floor level button. The silver elevator was nothing fancy, but it served it's purpose. It glided slowly, and jolted when it reached the second floor, and Arthur stepped outside with a little more headache, but oh well.

The bustling and moving of doctors jostled Arthur on his way to Alfred's room. When he stepped into the dim room, Alfred sat up, his expression bright. "Arthur!" He called out to the blond man. The sixteen year old smiled at his older brother happily as he walked closer to the bed. "I missed you so much!"

Arthur looked around at the room. There was very little in the way of decoration, and machines were along the cream walls of the room. There was a small white bear holding an axe in the corner of the room. Alfred noticed Arthur's gaze and told him that it was from Matthias. Arthur nodded and crossed the tiled floor to Alfred's bedside.

"How are you doing?" He tried not to look at the bandages covering his arms and stomach. Alfred enthusiastically answered him.

"I've been great, Arthur! The food isn't that good but the people are really very nice!" Alfred's hands moved as he talked, and Arthur found himself following their movements. Francis had been lounging in the back, but now he decided to talk to Alfred.

"Hello, Alfred." Alfred's eyes snapped to the figure behind Arthur's hunched one.

"Oh, hey Francis!" He waved at the Frenchman, who chuckled and waved back. For the next thirty minutes, the three conversed until Alfred's nurse swept in and asked them to leave. Arthur, ever the gentleman, followed her orders with Francis once again behind him.

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 **Thanks for reading! This chapter is longer than my usual chapters, thanks to the advice of catholicorprotestant! Thanks for reviewing every single one of the chapters so far! I don't mind any advice you give, in fact keep it coming**!


	6. More Misfortune

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. I have all honors classes and it's bogged me down.**

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The car purred as Arthur pulled up to the concrete curb and parked. Stepping out, he felt his jaw drop at the masses of people milling around in front of the apartment complex. Emily Johnson, his next-door apartment neighbor, was off to the side of the parking lot in front. People were getting into their cars as he walked over to her, but she paced around her car. He tapped her shoulder and as she turned around, he took note of her worried look.

"Hey, Emily, what's going on? Why are we all out here?" Arthur could spot a few friends in the crowd. Emily pulled him off to the side, behind her compact blue car.

"The landlord, you know, Jacob, has said that there has been a gas leak and we'll have to stay away for an indeterminate amount of time." She nodded her head as she talked, blond hair swishing along her shoulders. Before she opened her car door, she tapped her chin as if considering something.

Pulling a large, cream-furred cat from her car, she smiled blindingly at Arthur. "Do ya think you could watch Hero for me? He's my baby, and I don't want him in a kennel, because the hotel I'm in doesn't accept pets." The fluffy cat meowed and snuggled into Emily's embrace.

Arthur nodded his conformation, taking the large cat from Emily, who meowed in protest and lashed his paw. Arthur nearly dropped the cat, and he held up as Emily smiled delightfully. She went over to her car to get Hero's food and as she dragged the food, she began to list things. By the time she had dragged everything the cat needed, Arthur practically had the cat's biography.

Gently putting the meowing cat in the backseat, Arthur pulled out his phone and called Francis, the first person who came to mind of where they could stay. When Francis answered, their conversation went like this.

* * *

"Hello, Francis." Arthur said calmly.

"Hello, Arthur? How are you doing? Did you need something?" Francis called.

"Yes, actually. I was wondering if I could stay at your place. My apartment complex had a gas leak, and so I'm out of a place, but my neighbor, Emily, gave me her cat to take care of. Plus, once Alfred's out of the hospital, he'll need to stay too."

Francis laughed. "It's OK, Arthur, I don't mind. I love cats." With relief, Arthur sighed.

"Thanks Francis. See you soon."

"Bye."

* * *

Once the call was over, Arthur started the car and began the drive to Francis's place. He turned up the music playing and hummed along to it as the cat slept in the backseat of the car. Once he had pulled up into the parking lot of Francis's apartment, he slowly pulled the cat from the backseat. It didn't even twitch in it's sleep as he closed the door and started towards Francis, who stood at his apartment door.

"Here's the cat." Arthur told Francis, handing the fluffy cream cat over to him, before going to his car and dragging the cat's stuff into the apartment. Once everything was in Francis's apartment, including Arthur's laptop, he opened it and waved Francis over.

"So we need to figure out why they attacked Alfred and kidnapped Matthew, Francis." Arthur said as his laptop booted up. Most of my notes on are this laptop, so it should be easy to figure out..." He trailed off as he noticed the screen changing between blue and black, and the smoke coming off the bottom. "No! How could this happen!" Arthur groaned.

Francis pat his back. "It'll be fine, we'll just need to use my notes. I guess before they kidnapped Matthew, they messed up your laptop so that we couldn't figure out how to get him back before they, well killed him." Arthur flinched at Francis's blatant blurt-out, before grabbing the notebook from his hands.

"Okay, so we have had Feliciano Vargas, Laura and Lars, Eduard, Natalya, Gilbert, and maybe someone else get killed by this murderer. We have to catch them before this turns into an even bigger bloodbath." Francis nodded in agreement, then reached down and pet the cat that had walked up close to his leg. It began to purr and Arthur also reached down and pet it's back.

"I'm going to go feed it." Arthur told Francis, who nodded. Later that night, after dinner and a night full of notes, Arthur drowsily settled on the couch and said goodnight to Francis, who was heading down to his room.

"Yes, goodnight, Arthur." Before Arthur fell asleep, he found himself wondering what would happen when they found the killer. If they found the killer, that was. The search was, so far, not going very well at all.

When he woke up in the morning, he opened his sleepy eyes and spotted, and heard, Francis humming in the kitchen. He could smell eggs and toast. As he went down to the bathroom, he mumbled a hello to his partner. Francis said, "You just woke in time, Arthur! The hospital called you and said Alfred would be ready to come home in about two days!"

Suddenly wide awake, Arthur nodded his head happily and then went to the bathroom to dress. When he got out, Francis was placing two plates at the table. Before he sat down, the cat pawed at his leg. He pat it on the head and then emptied some food into it's bowl.

Sitting down finally, Arthur began to eat slowly, looking around the room. He hadn't really looked around last night, and now he had the opportunity to. The crisp white kitchen tiles gleamed below him and the dark walls had pictures hung on them that showed Francis's family as he grew up. He recognized his mother from when she had showed up at Francis's office one day while they were discussing a case. With a final smile, Arthur finished his food and motioned at France. It was time to work.

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 **But really guys, I'm so so sorry! It probably won't be as long for the seventh chapter, but it might be, so don't hold your breath.**

 **8/29/2015**

 **11:44 am**


	7. Romance (OR IS IT)

**If you don't like Ameripan, you'll be mostly fine. It doesn't play a big role. But if you don't like FrUK, however, get ready to shy away from this story. It is for reading, all you people who do like the ships! Let's get ready!**

 **By the way, I don't own Hetalia. It belongs to Hidekaz Himuraya(?).**

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With a sigh, Alfred turned over on the hospital bed. His blue eyes searched for something to do in the room, and he groaned and flipped back onto his back when he found nothing. He wished Arthur would bring him his phone already. Then he could talk to Matthias and play games on it. Grabbing the small bear off his nightstand, he put it on his head, over his eyes.

When the nurse popped in, he sheepishly pulled the bear from his forehead. "Mr. Kirkland's here to see you, Alfred." He sat up on the large white-sheeted bed with a happy grin. He could hear Arthur saying thank you to the nurse outside, and he waited for his older brother to walk into the room

Once Arthur stepped into the room, Alfred reached forward and hugged his brother. "Hey, Arthur. Did you hear the news? I get released soon!" Arthur nodded and pulled away from Alfred

"Alfred, when you get released, you're going to have to stay with Francis at his home. I am too, but just it's temporary, just until our apartments are clean. There was a large gas leak, so most people in our complex are staying away for an amount of time. We're also watching Emily's cat, you know Hero, right?

Alfred nodded in conformation and the visit continued as normal. Before Arthur left, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Alfred's phone. He smiled. "Wouldn't want to forget this, know would you?" Alfred grinned wider, and leaned forward to grab it.

"Thanks, bro!" Alfred did a little dance in his bed. "Now I won't be bored!" He immediately pushed the power button and watched it load up, before settling back in his bed and playing a game. Arthur chuckled before setting the charger onto the table next to him.

* * *

ARTHUR

Arthur walked over to his car, smiling at the people he met along the way. "Hello, Ma'am." He said to a lady as he held open the door. She smiled at him, and he continued on his merry way. It was time for work now. He was lucky the visiting time for Alfred didn't interfere with his work hours. If only they could figure out where Matthew was…

Once he was at his gray car, Arthur swung open the door and slid inside. Sliding his phone into his back pocket, the blond started the car and drove to his work. The huge building loomed above Arthur as he parked, and he met Francis at the door. The Frenchman had been waiting for him. "Arthur." He said, pushing open the door. "The team is holding a meeting in room 1A." Arthur nodded in response. Setting down his stuff at the small office room, he gazed around before he left. Same stuff, uncluttered. Yet, his life felt so different from since before the murderer had surfaced. Arthur could only hope that they would find the perpetrator soon

Once everything was set down, Arthur set out at a brisk pace to the meeting room. Pushing open the door, he found Ivan, Yao, Elizaveta, and Francis all talking. They quieted down as he entered the room, and he sat down by the end of the table. Before the meeting started, he pulled out what he had salvaged of his notes after he went to the computer shop.

Soon enough, everyone in the meeting was talking and it was a mess of voices. Arthur was almost at his wit's end and so, he stood up and rapped his knuckles on the wall, very loudly. Everyone stopped and turned to look at him. "Thank you." He sighed, then gathered his notes and moved to the front

"So, we had 6 murders so far, 1 missing persons thought to be connected, and 1 person attacked." Arthur began talking. "We never know who the murderer is going to attack next. None of them are connected, and none of them are the same age. It seems that he just randomly picks them off the street while he walks, and even then, they don't even live near each other." The others were nodding as Arthur talked. "Does anybody have any idea of what we could do?"

Elizaveta raised her hand. "We could search all of the places the murderer struck?" Arthur nodded and grinned.

"Great job!" Arthur began to chatter with the others. By the end of the meeting, Ivan, Yao, and Elizaveta had all agreed that Francis and Arthur deserved some time off because they were working so hard on this case. "Thanks, Elizaveta, Ivan, Yao. So, you'll all be doing your individual ideas, yes?

Ivan nodded, his childish smile growing. "Da." Arthur gathered up his stuff and headed out to the car. Throwing the stuff in the backseat, Arthur could see Francis already leaving the parking lot, having parked closer to the entrance. "Frog." Arthur muttered.

Once he was at Francis's apartment door, he knocked, and the Frenchman opened it. Before Arthur could say anything, Francis opened his mouth. "I need to get you a key. Remind me, alright?" Arthur nodded.

"Sure." He set down his stuff and then went to the bathroom. When he returned, Francis was sat at the table. Francis looked at him as he sat down

"I know they told us not to work, but I have to show you something I found before we show it to the rest of the team. I found a boy who fits in the time frame of the missing person we're looking for. He lives close to here, too. Do you know him?" Francis help up a photo with the name 'Kiku Honda' scrolled below, and Arthur's breath caught.

"Yes, I knew him." Arthur hesitantly nodded. "But Alfred knew him better." Francis hesitated

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what do you mean?" His eyes were wide with trepidation as he waited for the answer. "How does Alfred know him better?

Arthur sighed. He supposed he would've had to reveal this soon enough. "Alfred is bisexual. Kiku was his boyfriend." Putting his hand on his chin, he watched Francis's reaction. The Frenchman had his eyes even wider and his mouth was slightly open. "Kiku went missing a while ago. Alfred still hasn't gotten over it. He was in love with that boy."

"So, Alfred is bi? I never would have thought." Francis said, stroking his chin. "But we know Alfred wouldn't be the murderer. The boy is much too sweet. So we can dismiss Kiku, right?" Arthur nodded hesitantly.

"I suppose. But remember, Francis, everyone's a suspect. Don't fully dismiss Kiku. Alfred would do anything for that boy. Even murder." With that last word, Arthur got up again and went into the kitchen. Grabbing some crackers, he began the trek back to the living room, but before he could, his chin was grabbed.

"Thank you, Arthur." Francis murmured, before leaning forward and capturing Arthur's lips. Arthur's eyes widened significantly as he relaxed into Francis's grip. Before long, Francis pulled away, and then walked to his room. He called back, "See you tomorrow, Monsièur." Arthur just stood there, holding his crackers in his limp arm.

* * *

 **Just to say, guys, I have no experience in kissing. Thankfully. So that's why it was very brief. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.**

 **10:47pm**

 **9/5/15**

 **AutobotCopperShadow**


	8. Poor Spain & Romano

It was the dead of night, and even crickets were nestled into their dusty homes. Cars zoomed by, their headlights carving a path through the darkness. The large group of apartments were still, with no lights turned on. In one apartment, a cat, two men, and a teenager lived. Now, only the teenager and one of the men were related, but something was brewing between the two men.

Alfred, in light sleep, turned over on the small bed with a smile on his face. Hero, the cat, slinked over to the boy, and jumped onto his head. "Hey… Hero, whatcha doing?"Alfred mumbled, pulling the fluffy cream cat towards him. The cat purred and pushed itself closer to Alfred, who murmured in his sleep. Once he had successfully pushed itself into Alfred's chest, Hero sniffed his shirt. With an inquisitive purr, the cat cocked it's head. "Shh, Hero."

Abandoning it's expedition, the cat leaned into the shaky pets. Once they stopped, he fell asleep close to Alfred.

* * *

NEXT MORNING 7:00am

Arthur woke up to blankets strew over the living room, and the smell of food coming from the kitchen. He glanced over, seeing Francis, which brought a whole new shade of red to his face, and scrambled up.

He had previously slept in Francis's spare room, but since Alfred had came to stay, he had slept in the living room. Soon enough, Alfred and Arthur could move back to their apartment, but for now, well…, Arthur was enjoying staying at Francis's apartment. Looking into Alfred's room, he spotted the cat curled up close to Alfred, and smiled happily.

Backing up, he headed towards the bathroom, as he always did, only to run into Francis. Face burning again, he stumbled. "Hey, F-Francis." The Frenchman nodded with a smile, then walked over to where Arthur had just come from. He stuck his head in the door. "Hey, Alfred, breakfast time!" Arthur could hear Alfred's groan from where he was standing in the living room.

"But I don't wanna wake up."

Francis chuckled, and Arthur's face heated up once again. Before he could hear the rest of the conversation, he walked along the hallway, his bare feet cold from the wood floors. Pulling up a chair, he sat down and watched as Francis walked into the room, a disgruntled Alfred following him, still slightly limping from his leg injury. Hero walked alongside Alfred, curling around the boy's legs. With a titled head, Arthur spotted a bit of blood on Alfred's shirt, but then realized that it was the shirt he had been wearing when he was hurt, so that was where he had gotten it, right?

Grabbing a plate for Alfred, he filled it up and placed it in front of him. He looked up and mumbled a 'thank you'. His cowlick hung in front of his eyes as he began shoveling food.

Arthur looked and grabbed his own plate. Once he had sat down, Francis began talking. "Well, Alfred, we both have work today, so you'll be fine home alone, right?" Alfred nodded. "You'll have to take care of Hero, you know." Arthur added.

"I know, Arthur." Alfred mumbled, one eyebrow pricked as he stared at Arthur. His half-asleep eyes stared ahead at the TV as Francis and Arthur left the apartment. With an raised eyebrow again, he noticed that they only grabbed one set of keys this time, and they were a bit early. "Huh." He thought, turning off the TV and heading to his room, pausing to feed Hero. "I'll be right back buddy." Then he heard a bump, and he curiously walked along the hall.

* * *

With a gasp, green eyes snapped open in the dim light. He was facing a large wall, and as he tried to crane his neck to see, his hands rustled against the rope holding him and he hissed with pain. "Wh-what happened, Antonio?" Lovino could turn his head a bit, so he knew there was a person in the room, and Antonio was with him last he remembered, so… "Tomato bastard! Wake up!" He heard a snap as he spotted movement in the corner of his vision.

"Lovi? Where are we?" With a sense of tredeptation, Lovino could hear footsteps outside the door. With a shudder he hissed at Antonio. "Quiet, tomato bastard, or they'll hear us!" Quietly, Lovino thought back on when the police had found his brother, and he wondered if this was the same killer, or if the brothers were really this unlucky.

"Who'll hear us?" Antonio suddenly stopped as a bright light flooded the room and blinded from where he sat, tied up. A tall figure stood in front of him, black mask pulled over it's face.

"Me." The figure spoke menacingly as he strode forward. Antonio watched, frightened, as it strode towards Lovino, who sat as rigid as the back of the chair he sat in.

"Lovi?" Antonio's voice trembled when the figure was out of sight, and his whole body began to shiver when he heard a sharp crack follow by a hiss of pain. "Lovi, answer me!" There was a final large snap and there was no more sound.

The chuckle started out small, before booming to fill the large space. "I've been waiting for this all night, and I want you to see! Your friend won't talk to you now!" Antonio was suddenly jerked and turned around, and before he could close his eyes, he felt like throwing up.

Lovino lay limp, slumped forward like a puppet without strings, and his wrists were at an odd angle, as well as one of his ankles. The most horrifying sight, however, was the fact that his head was slumped over onto one side, and Antonio could see his best friend's blank expression. He made the move to scramble forwards, only to be caught.

Antonio's soon-to-be killer spoke again, this time in a softer tone, but with a giggly undertone. "My friend…" Antonio could hear the contempt in the voice. "My friend thinks he's the fucking hero, you know?" The voice paused, and Antonio's throat was suddenly caught in a tight grip. "He's not, though. He's not. I am. I save people from lies and treachery in their life. He does nothing!" The last thing Antonio saw was thick blond hair, the killer having pulled off the cap. Then, there was nothing.

Alfred watched languidly as Arthur and Francis crept through the door of the apartment, red-faced. He flipped off the TV and spoke. "Hard day?" His soft tone startled Arthur as he drew his hand through his hair.

"You could say so." He sighed unhappily. "There's been two more murders."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I love you guys, but I need a bit more feedback, alright? I need to know how I'm doing with this. Plus, I'm sorry for killing off Romano and Spain. Please don't kill me?**

 **AutobotCopperShadow**

 **09 – 21 – 15**

 **8:30 pm**


	9. Talk About Bowling

**Let me tell you this. This story is going to be 13-14 chapters long, and hopefully people will find it long after it goes under. So please review before I end it, so if there are any mistakes, I can fix them before long.**

* * *

Alfred was hot. It was the weekend, and it was a hot weekend. The blistering heat left him slung over the couch, hand flung over his sticky forehead. Arthur and Francis had long before left for their job. Despite what Arthur probably thought, Alfred wasn't stupid. He knew something was going on with those two, and he was going to find out.

With a large, heaving sigh, Alfred sat up and walked over to his bag. Pulling out his phone, he called up Matthias. "Hey, dude, want to go to the bowling alley? I bet I could beat you!" His friend's enthused voice sounded over the phone, much better than since Alfred had last called him, which had been after Gilbert had died. With grief for his friend, Alfred quieted down as Matthias began a long-winded talk.

"So the bowling alley on 19th street, right?" Alfred finally spoke, after what seemed to be—Alfred checked the clock—3 minutes of straight talking. Pulling his shoes on and pushing his headphones, phone and house key into his pocket, Alfred laid his hand on the soft and silky fur of Hero. "I'll be back soon, buddy."

Soon after pushing open the door and stepping out, Alfred was already sweating. "Dang." He whispered, wiping sweat off his forehead for what seemed to be the 5th time on his walk. He observed the cars passing, and was soon playing the game he had used to lay with Arthur when he was younger. "5 red cars, 7 blue cars, and 12 silver or white cars." Alfred chuckled to himself. "Silver or white seems to be a very popular color." He started to laugh loudly, then continued his trek to 19th street. Soon enough, he was walking across the street from the bowling alley.

Spotting his friend's mother's car, he waved to Angela, Matthias's mother, as she drove away. He snorted, talking to Matthias. "Betcha I'll majorly beat your butt!" He minded his language, watching the mother with three small children walk by. Suddenly, Alfred's foot caught on the concrete step of the entrance, and he found himself face to face with the ground. He heard Matthias's loud, booming laugh and scowled.

"Walk much?" He reached out and grabbed the offered hand.

"No, I make a living out of tripping over stuff." He smiled cheekily at Matthias, before skipping ahead of his friend. Watching his step now, Alfred opened the door and held it open as an elderly lady walked out.

"Thank you, dearie." She croaked out, before hobbling away. Alfred cocked an eyebrow at Matthias before following his blond friend inside. With an unspoken word, Alfred stepped up to the counter.

"1 game, please." Alfred spoke, holding out the money he had brought. The pretty clerk took the money, smiling, dimples plainly showing. As Alfred wondered off to the bowling balls, Matthias told the clerk their shoe sizes. They had done this enough that they knew what to do. Of course, they had one more person with them at that time…

Alfred bit his tongue. 'Quiet.' He scolded himself, before hefting the bowling balls into his arms. Walking over to their lane, he pushed each ball into it's own spot, before lifting up his and rolling it down the lane. He faintly heard Matthias scuffing his shoes against the flooring behind him. Throwing his arms up, he cheered when he hit 8 of the bowling balls. "Best yet!" Alfred had never been really good at bowling.

He watched Matthias walk past him, blond hair swaying in the light breeze of the fans. Quickly, before he could forget, Alfred pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Arthur.

Went bowling w/Matthias. Will be back by 2pm – Alfred

Looking up, Alfred's mouth swung open in disbelief as he looked at the screen. "How did you do that?" He shrieked, jumping up and down. The large X showing on the screen just made Matthias smirk harder as he sauntered back to where Alfred scowled at him.

With a playful glare, Alfred grabbed his bowling ball and launched it, as fast as he could, down the lane, and watched it slam into the middle of the pins. With a large whoop, Alfred jumped up and down! "Ha! Strike!" He pointed at Matthias.

Soon enough, they were halfway through their game. Currently, Alfred was in the lead, but Matthias was certainly catching up. With pursed lips, Alfred watched Matthias swing the ball down the lane. When the ball got all of the pins, he bit down on his lip and winced. "Dang it." He high-fived Matthias. "Good job!" Then he walked up to the strip.

Alfred sat in his and chewed his fingernails anxiously and watched Matthias launch the ball down the lane. With furrowed brows, he watched it travel down and down, until… It hit the gutter! Alfred jumped up in happiness, smirking at Matthias, who just scowled before slapping Alfred on the back.

"Great job, dude!" Matthias said, pulling off his bowling shoes. "We should play again. Alfred nodded slowly.

"Sure. I've got to go to school tomorrow since my injury healed, but Sunday?" He offered, handing the clerk his shoes. Matthias nodded in conformation. "Alright," Alfred said, heading off as Matthias pulled out his phone. "See you in school!" Continuing on his way, Alfred soon came across the apartment complex. He sighed. "I wish we were in our own complex."

Pulling the door open, Alfred spotted Arthur and Francis sitting at the table, Francis looking a bit sad. With an aching suspicion, Alfred had an idea of what they were talking about. He ignored it. "Hey guys! How are you doing?" He watched Arthur snatch his hand back from Francis, and smirked inside. 'I knew it~' He singsonged inside his head.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, I'm just going to ignore that." He walked past Arthur and headed towards his temporary bedroom. He ignored the whispering of Francis and Arthur too, and curled up onto of his bed, tiredness taking him away.

So, we find out next chapter what the heck Francis and Arthur were chatting about, and this chapter was basically just friendship development between Alfred and Matthias. Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **AutobotCopperShadow**

 **9 - 28 – 15**

 **6:56pm**


	10. News

**I am rewriting this story. I don't think it's up to par for me, so expect it to be re-done soon.**

 **thanks,**

 **AutobotCopperShadow**


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